First in a weeklong series

Southwest Florida was in the midst of a growth spurt a year ago, creating reasons for elected leaders to focus in 2017 on safeguarding our environment.

That’s why protection of natural resources was one of seven community priorities identified by the Naples Daily News editorial board a year ago. So how did the area fare?

There were notable advancements in the past year as well as some important steps taken toward longer-term preservation. Unfortunately, there also were setbacks, reminding us of the need to stay vigilant to protect the natural beauty that is Southwest Florida’s calling card.

One such alarm came via a report card on the region’s estuaries, released in June by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Analyzing state data, the report assigned letter grades to water quality (presence of nutrients and bacteria in our water bodies) and natural habitat (preservation of wetlands, mangroves and coastal area tracts). Water quality was graded as a D throughout most of Lee and Collier counties. Habitat protection rated higher, though Naples Bay and the Caloosahatchee River areas were graded D-.

Successes, failures

Where we succeeded and faltered in 2017:

» Land acquisition. Lee County commissioners earned the year’s top kudos for their bold vote to spend $42.3 million through the Conservation 20/20 program to acquire the wetlands-rich 3,922-acre undeveloped Edison Farms east of Estero and Bonita Springs. Purchases like this one provide important tracts for retaining and cleansing waters headed toward the coast, along with animal habitat and peaceful recreation. When the year began, we were optimistic Collier County commissioners would advance a renewal of the Conservation Collier land preservation program to the 2018 ballot. While a financial patch was put into place to allow the program to make some purchases, it appears that referendum now won’t come until 2020. This is the biggest environmental disappointment of 2017.

» Stormwater. Heavy rainfall in late July was followed in August by 10 or more inches from an unnamed tropical disturbance. Hurricane Irma dropped a dozen inches or more onto soggy terrain Sept. 10. That underscored the need for an improved stormwater management program in Collier and south Lee counties. It will become a necessary expense, just as in Naples where there’s already a stormwater fee and utility. Kudos to Collier commissioners and Bonita Springs council members for advancing the stormwater issue toward decisions in 2018. State lawmakers deserve credit for funding the creation of another water storage site south of Lake Okeechobee and advancing other initiatives toward reducing pollution in the Caloosahatchee watershed.

» Coastline. The “Shrinking Shores” series by the Naples Daily News in 2016 documented that the state was lagging in investing in beaches, with half of Florida’s 825 miles of coast now critically eroded. Given that magnitude, we don’t realistically expect the fix to come from state and federal budgets. So we applaud Collier government leaders for crafting a long-term plan to fortify our beaches and Collier commissioners for raising the 4 percent tourist tax to 5 percent, reallocating the proceeds to pump more money into better beaches. Also of major significance in 2017 was approval of a BP-funded grant for a university study of the effects of sea level rise in Collier County.

» Records were set in 2016 for vehicle collisions that killed endangered Florida panthers and for manatee deaths from boats. By mid-December, panther deaths had declined significantly in 2017, and state officials increased the population estimate to as many as 230. Unfortunately, state data show another deadly record year for manatees comparable to 2016.